1999 was the first full year of peace that
Cambodia had experienced in three decades.
During those years, fighting for control of the country had not only devastated the
economy and left millions dead; it had also
left 2,200 square kilometers littered with
landmines. These mines ensured that the
casualties and terror of war would extend long
beyond the end of the fighting, a hollow
mockery of the peace.

Today, while the demining teams are making steady progress around
the country, there remain large areas that have still not been
touched and that threaten people's lives daily. In the first eight
months of 2004, there were an average of 3 casualties each
day. This was the first upward trend in years. 96 percent of
these were civilians.

The demining is paving the way for a more normal future. However,
there remain tens of thousands of people who have already lost
their limbs to mines that were not discovered until too late.
Without some form of intervention, these people have a life devoid
of hope.

In Cambodia, as in many countries, disabled people have much less
hope than those who have never had to deal with such challenges.
They are shunted off to the edge of society. School attendance
becomes problematical. Physical labor becomes difficult in the
extreme. It becomes hard to do the very things necessary to be
accepted by society.

While Cambodia's citizens are unable to contribute fully to
society, the country will never realize the full potential of its
generous natural resources. Thus, the problem is not only an
individual one. It is a national one.